Here’s the uncomfortable truth for conservatives in B.C.—in fact, for anyone who doesn’t support the BC NDP government: the easiest way to make provincial politics competitive again is for John Rustad to step aside.

It isn’t about malice; it’s about math, management and momentum. In sports terms, the BC Conservative leader has piled up unforced errors and own goals. His annus horribilis as opposition leader has soared spectacularly in the last 30 days, and has by no means crested, but the parade of events must surely convince him that he cannot continue.

The governing NDP has vulnerabilities galore: affordability stress, health-care gaps, labour strife, record deficits, and no clear plan to raise living standards. Yet David Eby now leads on the “best premier” measure and his party has stabilized despite the dire straits into which it has led the province. That curious condition doesn’t happen unless the alternative looks riskier or less ready. My Lodestar Media colleague Mario Canseco’s latest Research Co. survey shows Eby with a 16-point leadership advantage.

Leadership is steadiness. Rustad has delivered self-induced distractions. Beyond an inability to articulate a governing strategy, a months-long leadership review and a “fake membership” mess raised doubts........

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